


Pandora’s Box

by Anna_Donovan



Category: Avatar (2009)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassin - Freeform, BAMF, Comedy, Explicit Language, F/M, For Science!, Na’vi, Pandora - Freeform, Romance, Tsu’tey, butchering science terminology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2019-07-20 16:44:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16141352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anna_Donovan/pseuds/Anna_Donovan
Summary: When they thought her completely broken, she'd kept it to herself how her rage had kept her afloat. Kept it to herself how she swore she never yield to them again.Kira Otokami was going to escape but she knew no matter what country she chose to flee to they'd find her. So instead she decided to escape to another planet altogether, rumoured to be one of the most deadliest places known to man.Pandora...she would fit in perfectly.





	1. Prologue: Kira Otokami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this now so I can’t Pussy Out and stop writing it! 
> 
> (Will go back and edit things later.)

 

This was the longest contract on someone's life Kira had ever been assigned to take.

Not to mention expensive, but then again if you owned a company with the funds to run an off world mining operation what was a little more money to eliminate your enemies?

Regardless, her handler had snapped up the assignment and designated it to her, his best asset, immediately. Thus began the arduous task of infiltrating the Avatar driver program.

The avatar driver program was basically a scientific devision dedicated to studying the flora and fauna Indigenous to the planet Pandora. That was Kira’s understanding of it at least. The entire thing was orchestrated by a scientist called Dr. Grace Augustine. She wrote a book about it all and had even made contact with the natives on Pandora, the Na’vi. By combining Na’vi and human DNA, the first Avatar had been made, allowing the scientists to study Pandora more freely then before.

The file Kira had been granted hadn’t gone too in-depth but she had a basic understanding of the whole thing. She was to infiltrate the ADP, go to Pandora, eliminate her target, then return. Simple in theory.

In complete honesty getting in wasn't the hard bit, their newest employer handled that part, though her impressive (albeit fake) scientific credentials undoubtedly made it easy to slip her file into the chosen final few. She had quickly taken up learning Na'vi in an attempt to boost her chances of getting and blending into the program.

No it was staying in said program which was the tricky part. In the beginning there had been over fifteen final candidates, all sporting one imposing PHD or another.  From the initial number it had been whittled down to ten in the first month, then seven and then finally five remained. Herself included.

Over the next three years Kira had to use every trick up her sleeve, to lie, cheat and blackmail her way to the finish line. Though when that wasn't enough she'd have to rely on the added aid of a man she'd met when she was first accepted into the program.

Tomas Sully.

In all honesty the bright eyed and sharp minded man had irritated her in the beginning, with his constant quips and charming smiles. Even so, she admired his brilliant mind and determination. She could see he was one of those people who stood up for what they believed in. He had a strong heart, fearless but naive.

Perhaps that's what put her off at first, what a good person Tommy was. Kira felt it was almost…wrong for her to be around him, someone like her with a ledger so red it would never scrub clean. She was an assassin, not a scientist.

Tommy however took it upon himself to nag her endlessly with his friendship, bombarding her with smiles and jokes until he slowly began to grow on her.  An easy camaraderie grew between them.  

For the first time in her life Kira found she had a friend.

With Tom’s help it became a lot easier to keep up with things in the ADP (as they had taken to calling it) and they began to grow closer. She actually listened when he spoke about Pandora, not about the dangers of the planet, but about its beauty and life. His passion on the subject was infectious. He helped teach her Na’vi, improved her knowledge of Pandora to a point that she began to be able to follow what he was actually talking about when he began to gush about the plant life and creatures there.

Kira had been taught from a young age how to kill and weaponise herself. But slowly this man was changing her from a stone cold killer to someone who could see the beauty in everything around her. Suddenly she wasn’t so keen to full-fill her contract, kira began to dream of something more. Of freedom.

But she'd made a mistake, she'd forgotten.

They were always watching her.

When her superiors found out, they ordered her to kill him. She'd refused. For her insolence they'd threatened her, told her if she didn't eliminate him then she'd be the one to die. Still she'd refused. So instead they'd gunned him down infront of her, left him to bleed out alone in the rain in some alleyway like rubbish thrown to the side of the road. They made it look like a common mugging gone wrong.

Her rage had burned in her so hot she felt like her heart had turned to coal.

Then came the ' _rehabilitation_ '.

It had been agony as they ‘conditioned’ her both physically and mentally until she complied to their every command. Drilled it into her head who she was to kill and how she was to do it. 

When they thought her completely broken, she'd kept it to herself how her rage had kept her afloat. Kept it to herself how she swore she never yield to them again. She was going to escape but she knew no matter what country she chose to flee to they'd find her. So instead she decided to escape to another planet altogether, rumoured to be one of the most deadliest places known to man.

Pandora. She would fit in perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “-dedicated to studying the flora and fauna Indigenous to the planet Pandora.” What a fun scentence to say XD
> 
> Brief prologue, wanted to keep it short and succinct. This is just to vaguely introduce Kira and the back story, to get the ball rolling. Following chapters should be longer depending on the tempo my writing settles into pfft!


	2. Chapter 1: Hell’s Gate

This wasn’t the first time Kira had experienced Cryogenic sleep.

Occasionally between contacts, her handlers would store her away until she was needed, usually for around a year or so. The process wasn’t pleasant, but at least with the technology she didn’t age whilst in the Cryo cycles.

This was however the longest she’d ever been under.

Five years, nine months and twenty two days she’d lain asleep in her designated pod, drifting through space towards her chance at freedom. The journey to Pandora was long, but it didn’t feel real yet. Some part of her was worried she was still back on earth under the thumb of her superiors-‘no stop calling them that. You’re no long their weapon, they no longer control you.’

Waking up from Cryo was always a slow process, especially after so long. The first thing she saw was the ceiling of her small pod a few centimetres from her face. Using slow blinks to clear the fog from her eyes, Kira took her first few conscious breaths of air.

‘I wonder if this is how it feels inside a coffin’ the Ex-assassin wondered morbidly, her mind wandering to her late friend Tomas. 

With how used to Cryo her body was she was quickly shaking off the daze of waking up, hands reaching up to start searching her pod for the release button. Before she could search far however, her pod was suddenly moving, pulling out backwards, the lid detaching with a slight hiss.

“Early bird, huh? Took you a quarter of the time to shake off Cryo then anyone else!”

Kira squinted at the technician with a grimace as her eyes were bombarded by light making them sting and water. It wasn’t until a few drops of liquid started to float from her face that she realised. There was no gravity.

Perhaps she wasn’t quite as awake as she first thought.

The only thing still keeping her in her pod bed was a strap across her legs and chest, the man who’d opened her pod was quick the reach forward and undo them, guiding her hands to the rails beside her pod.

“Don’t worry, you’ll still feel incredibly sluggish for a little while. Your hands and feet might take a little bit to wake up and don’t try and talk too fast before your voice box can adjust.” The man continued, seemingly not bothered by her silence.

Kira gave a silent nod, glancing around the bright, wide open space. There were hundreds of pods lining the walls, but hers looked to be one of the first to open. Other pods were popping open here and there, medical assistants floating over to help the Cryo patients.

“We’re there aren’t we? Pandora?” Kira asked huskily, her throat and mouth feeling like cotton, turning her attention back on the man. It seemed a silly question to ask, but a part of her was anxious to hear the answer. It just didn’t seem real yet. The man chuckled, handing her a bottle of water and a nutrition bar from the locker beside her pod.

“Yeah, we’re here. Welcome to Pandora!”

——

Contrary to what the medical assistant had said, it didn’t take her long to get her body back in working order. After making sure she was supplied with water and a ‘wake up bar’ as the man had called it, the technician had directed the dark haired woman to the place where she could get a quick shower and some real clothing.

Eager to get out of the grey scrubs she’d had to sleep in for so long, Kira was quick to follow direction.

It was disorienting to go from the lack of gravity in the Cryo pod station to the artificial gravity chambers connecting them to the ship. It was only her strength of will that stopped her legs from buckling when they suddenly had to support her weight. Her body was responding slower then normal but still, she carried on.

The “shower” was more of a decontamination wash down, unpleasant but it helped make her feel slightly more awake. After that she was handed her belongings and was told to get dressed and make her way to one of the many small ships that would transport her to the surface of Pandora.

Due to being one of the first to wake, she was the first to take a seat on the transport ship. Kira chose a seat at the far end of the ship, and strapped herself in, pushing her duffel bag underneath the seat. It wasn’t long before others started to trickle in, looking dazed and still in the process of shrugging off Cryo.

She was quick to ignore them, glaring at anyone who tried to take the seat to her right. It wasn’t till it was the only seat left that she was forced to accept that she would have to share general space with someone else. The thought made her scowl.

“This seat taken?” A voice quipped, making her turn to face the man.

She was staring at a ghost.

“Tomas...?” She found herself breathing out in disbelief. Kira couldn’t believe her eyes, perhaps she was seeing things. It seemed finally her sanity had snapped.

Sitting before her in a wheelchair was a man identical to her very dead friend. The only differences, other then him being in a wheel chair, was his shorter hair. The eyes were slightly different too, holding the same mischief but lacking that spark that Tomas had.

“I’m sorry ma’am, you’re mistaken. I’m Jake. Tommy was my brother.”

Blinking out of her stupor, kira shook her head schooling her expression into that of an apologetic smile.

“Yes if course, forgive me.” Thinking about it now her superi-those bastards had mentioned something about Tommy’s twin brother taking his place in the ADP. Kira just hadn’t expected the other Sully to look...identical to her dead friend. It was jarring.

“Find your seats people, we leave for Pandora in five!”

Jake was quick to settle into the seat beside her, folding his wheel chair and strapping it to the wall behind him. He didn’t ask for help or seem to need it so Kira sat back and observed, cataloging the mans mannerisms. By the way he moved and acted, all efficient and independent, she could tell he hadn’t always been like this. Ex-marine she was guessing, and whatever happened to his legs put him out of action.

Once settled, Jake turned back to Kira, showing no sign of discomfort when he noticed her already watching him with her dark eyes.

“You know Tommy’s...-“

“Dead? Yeah I know, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to- he’d talked about you in the past I just didn’t expect...twins huh, damn.” She interrupted him, laughing slightly at her own idiocy.

“Yeah” Jake laughed, though there was a slight bitterness to it. “Don’t worry I’m used to it, its just a hell of a lot more awkward now.”

There was a heavy pause before Kira shook her head and turned back to face him.

“Let’s start over. I’m Kira, Kira Otokami.” She said, presenting him with her hand. He accepted, giving her a steady but firm handshake.

“Jake Sully.”

“Pleasure.”

——

During the ride to the ground, the two chatted amiably. Jake was a lot like Tomas in some ways, he was easy to talk to and funny. A few times he even managed to make Kira chuckle with amusement, which was quite the achievement!

Jake seemed to notice this and made it his mission to make the solemn woman laugh.

By the time they reached the ground any awkwardness from their first meeting was long forgotten, replaced by a sense of camaraderie. They’d both come to this place alone, but at least they had a budding friendship to make them both feel a little less daunted.

“You’re a scientist?!” Jake laughed in disbelief making Kira scowl at him.

“Yes, why did you say it like that?” After a brief consideration, she decided to stick with her cover story. After all she couldn’t go round telling people she was an Assassin-‘Ex-Assassin’. She might be a long way from Earth, but she wasn’t stupid enough to think there weren’t people here assigned to watch her. Kira had to pretend she was still here to complete the contract.

“You just didn’t strike me as the nerdy type, I thought you’d be a solider or some other high up.” Jake explained laughing when she huffed at him in amused irritation. What kind of assassin was she if someone she’d just met saw through her cover story within the first hour of meeting her.

Before she could reply with a scathing quip, they landed, and were told to put their Exo-masks on. It was something they'd all been drilled into before they’d even begun their journey to Pandora. Even Pandora’s air was deadly to humans, without the masks converting the deadly gas into safe breathable Oxygen they’d all be dead within minutes.

Incredible.

They weren’t given much time to procrastinate, as soon as everyone had their masks on and had grabbed their belongings, the drop hatch opened letting in natural sunlight. A wave to warm air followed and Kira found herself mesmerised, following the others down the ramp and then stopping as she reached the bottom.

It was stunning.

After so long dreaming and hearing about Pandora, to actually see it for herself...her eyes began to sting.

‘Wish you could be here to see this Tommy.’ She thought.

Trees, actual living trees, not those plastic fakes back on earth but real trees. So many colours everywhere she looked, greens and blues and purples and pinks. It was almost a sensory overload. Even the sky took her breath away.

A glorious expanse of blue dominated by two looming moons.

It was everything Tommy had described and more...

“You gonna stand there staring all day?” She heard Jake ask as he rolled up beside her. Kira could only laugh, the first real smile she had since Tommy died pulling at her face.

“It’s incredible.” She smiled, making Jake do a double take, before a smile of his own arose to match hers.

“You know what, I take it back, you’re definitely nerdy enough to be a scientist.”

She bashed him in the back of the head.

——

Looking away from the beauty past the chain linked fence, Kira took a moment to assess her surroundings. It was an eyesore to say the least.

The compound was comprised of squat concrete and steel structures surrounded by chain-link fence 10 meters high, topped with razor wire. At the corners and intersections of the fence were towers with automatic sentry guns which swivelled to and fro scanning the tree line.

Everything looked grey and lifeless compared to the bright cyan forest beyond.

Kira and Jake stayed together as they quickly followed after the others going double time into the base. The dark haired woman watched her surroundings wearily; she already hated it. It reminded her so much of the cramped lifeless cities back home.

Concrete, man made, ugly.

At least the view beyond was nice.

“Woah!” Said Jake as they were forced to stop as a massive three story tractor roared past on muddy wheels.

“Christ.” Kira muttered as she caught the sight of the arrows sticking out of the wheels, with brightly coloured fletching. They were at least three times as long as the length of her arm. The neolithic weapons were jarring amid all the advanced technology.

“Come on.” Urged Jake, leading the way forward. Across the way one of the sentry guns started to fire at something just beyond the fence. There was a shriek and a crash before the gun stopped. Kira could only imagine what it had been firing at. This place felt like an active war zone.

“Hell’s gate, huh? What a name.” Jake chuckled as they made there way towards the base entrance. Kira nodded, matching her pace to Jakes as he moved along in his wheel chair.

“There’s definitely a dramatic flare to it. Still I’ve heard worse.” She quipped, glancing down at Jake as they filed into the base. Once inside they were able to remove their Exo-packs, and followed the crowd towards the cafeteria for debriefing.

“Worse? Well now you’ve got to share.”

“Maybe some other time.” Kira chuckled, the two slipping in and finding their places at the back of the group as a stern looking man in combats prowled up and down the isle like a panther. Kira wanted to snort at how the other new arrivals watched the man with rapt attention, eyes wide. The man made his way to the front of the cafeteria and stopped, stance wide.

“Welcome to Hell’s Gate.” The man drawled with a southern twang. “ I am commander Quaritch, head of security.”

Commander Quaritch was a miserable looking bastard. Tanned skin, beady steel grey eyes and a bristly head of silver hair. He was all harsh lines and brittle edges, with a nasty looking scar on the side of his head that ran from scalp to jaw. Three etched lines, as if he’d been clawed by something. He moved with a domineering posture, shoulders back, spine ram-rod straight like someone had shoved a stick up his ass.

Kira disliked him on principle.

“...You are on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact every second of every day.” The commander began, turning and pointing out the window to the dark forrest beyond.

“Out beyond that fence every living thing that crawls, flies or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubees.” Kira glanced about as the room got very quiet, sharing an amused look with Jake. This wasn’t the first time either of them had had to attend a debriefing made to scare the shit out of you so you’d follow the rules.

“We have an indigenous population of humanoids here called the Na’vi. They’re fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin which can stop your heart in one minute. We operate -- we live -- at a constant threat condition yellow.”

At this point Kira was drowning out what the man had to say. None of it was helping her in anyway. She knew the dangers of Pandora, it was part of the reason she came here. The mention of the neurotoxin was interesting though. A nudge from Jake had her looking over at him.

“Nothing like an old-school safety brief to put your mind at ease.” He said. Kira stifled a snort, the corner of her mouth twitching as she resisted the urge to smirk.

The debriefing thankfully didn't take too long, and as soon as it was done, the two were the first to leave the cafeteria.

“So, where to next?”

Before she could reply, Kira was interrupted by a tall man who came bustling over to them, struggling with a clearly over packed duffel bag. To her surprise she recognised him. He was one of the few Avatar driver who made it through training with her and Tommy. Norm Spellman. Bit of an over achiever but not unbearable.

“Norm Spellman. It’s been a while.” Kira greeted him with a nod.

“Kira, hey! Oh and you must be Jake, Tom’s brother? Woah you look just like him.” Norms spluttered, grinning at Jake as if he hadn’t put his foot in his mouth. Kira gave a soft sigh, whilst Jake shot him a weary look.

“Sorry, I’m Norm Spellman, I went through avatar training with Tomas.” Spellman quickly backtracked, sticking out his hand to shake. Jake reluctantly accepted it, giving a firm but brief shake.

“Good to meet you.” Jake said.

“So, you guys heading to the labs? Come on, I’ve been itching to go check out our avatars. They should’ve unloaded the tanks by now.” Norm gushed, taking the lead and guiding them down the hall. Jake sent Kira a shrug and followed him, Kira taking up the rear end. She wondered how the hell Norm new where they were going.

——

The tanks were just being uncrated as they got there.

The nearest to them had the sides removed, revealing -- a ceiling-height acrylic tank. Kira was the first to move forward and peer into the amnio tank at the large humanoid figure floating languidly inside. An avatar...

Her avatar.

The figure inside was clearly female, with long lean limbs and thick black hair that drifted gracefully in the liquid like seaweed. Kira could tell this one was hers, they even shared features. Their jaw lines were the same, as well as the spacing of the eyes and the curve of the lips. They were distinctly Kira...but that’s where the similarities ended.

The avatar was tall, almost as long as the tank she floated in, twitching and turning every now and again in the amniotic fluid. Her skin was cyan-blue, decorated with darker stripes and dusted with tiny glowing freckles which covered her body in swirling patterns.

Full lips, long eye lashes and high cheek bones made her look regal and composed, even as she slept. Kira instantly fell in love with her, excitement bubbling in her stomach at the thought of getting to link and control this beautiful body.

Kira marvelled at how big they were. Last time she’d seen them was when they were loading for the trip to Pandora. They had been little more then juveniles back then, but they looked to have completely matured on the way out.

Kira got lost inspecting the ears and cat-like nose of her avatar, smiling as she caught sight of the long tail lazily moving back and forth. It was all so utterly alien, she was fascinated.

“Damn, they got big.” Jake remarked rolling up beside her. Kira could only nod in agreement, unable to take her eyes off of her avatar.

“Yeah, they mature on the trip out.” Norm supplied helpfully, all three of them inspecting her avatar.

“She’s gorgeous isn’t she? The proprioceptive sims worked pretty well. They’ve got great muscle tone. Give us a few hours, and you guys can take them for a spin as soon as tomorrow.” Interrupted a man behind them. Kira glanced back to see a man with a mop on curly black hair wearing a stark white lab coat.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Max Cullimore. I’m supervising the unloading and de-tanking if your avatars.” Max introduced himself, holding out his hand which all three shook.

“Come with me, let’s get you all settled and complete your first Video log whilst you wait.”

——

Her first video log was an awkward affair. For the first few minutes all she could do was stare at the camera with narrowed eyes. Eventually though she began to talk with a sigh, though she couldn’t really think of much to say. So she began to describe the trip here, every minute detail she could remember.

Perhaps if she survived this insane stunt she was attempting to pull off, she could look back in years to come and relive her first taste of freedom.

Still she was careful to leave out anything incriminating that might make people suspicious, she wasn’t stupid enough to think this would be private.

“-so their nervous systems are in tune or something. Which is why they offered me this gig, because I can link with Tommy’s avatar, which was insanely expensive. Is this right? I just say whatever in these videologs?” Jake called out, doing his own VL to Kira’s left. Seemed he was having just as much trouble as Kira when it came to what to say.

“Yeah. You just need to get in the habit of documenting everything -- what you see, what you feel -- it’s all part of the science. Good science starts with good observation.” Norm replied, already done with his on Log and was currently working with Max on something.

“Right. So, whatever. Here I am. Doing science. Never been in a lab before.” Jake muttered making Kira snort. He sent her a scowl that only seemed to amuse her more.

“Alright kids, Log off. It’s time to meet your boss for the next five years.” Max interrupted the two before they could start bickering.

Max led the three down a short corridor to the link room.

The link room was a large circular room with a platform at its centre, filled with screens and swarmed by scientist going about their business. Lining the room the whole way round we’re a dozen psionic link units. The looked like a cross between a coffin and an MRI scanner.

This was somewhere Kira would get to know very well these next few years.

Looking around, it suddenly occurred to the Ex-assassin that this was the first time she might come into contact with her mark. She began to scan the faces of everyone in the room.

“Grace Augustine is a legend. She's the head of the Avatar Program, and she wrote the book -- I mean literally wrote the book -- on Pandoran botany.” Norm gushed excitedly, as they tailed max who chuckled and glanced back at them.

“That's because she likes plants better than people.”

“Who’s got my damn cigarette?!” Came a shout for across the room, sending a dozen scientists scurrying into action. Kira was guessing that was Dr Augustine’s voice.

As they came towards where Grace has bellowed from Kira got her first real look at the doctor. Grace Augustine was a stern looking woman with a strong face, fiercely intelligent eyes and a head of curly red hair that was beginning to grey in places. As she turned towards them a scowl took over her face, eyes narrowing as she scanned the three of them.

“And here she is, Cinderella back from the ball. Grace, I’d like you to meet Norm Spellman, Kira Otokami and Ja—”

“Norm. I hear good things about you. How's your Na'vi?” Grace interrupted max, focusing on Spellman who perked up at the attention. Kira fought the urge to roll her eyes, glancing down and Jake who seemed to have the same tense expression on his face as her.

“ _May the All Mother smile upon our first meeting_ ” Norm said in jarring Na’vi, each word not flowing quite as smoothly as they should. ‘Not bad’ Kira thought crossing her arms ‘still could be better’. Grace nodded approvingly, taking a drag on her cigarette.

“ _Not bad. You sound a little formal though. What about you,_ Otokami?”

“ _I see you. I am pleased to meet you,_ Dr. Augustine _. May Eywa be with you._ ” Kira spoke fluently, pressing her fingers to her brow and then sweeping them out again in greeting.

“ _And also with you. Very good, you sound like you’ve been speaking Na’vi for a long time._ ” Grace said with a look of mild respect.

“ _I learn languages very quickly, it comes easy to me._ ” It was true, learning a new language took Kira half the time of most people. Learning Na’vi was made even easier when she’d had help from Tommy. Jake waited as they ignored him, chattering in fluent Na’vi. Only Kira kept glancing at him checking he was still there.

“Uh, Grace, this is Jake S----“ Max began but was once again cut off.

“Yeah, yeah, I know who you are, and I don’t need you. I need your brother.” She snapped turning to max “You know -- the PhD who trained three years for this mission.”

“He’s dead. I know it’s a big inconvenience to everyone.” Jake said, making Kira wince.

“How much lab training have you had? Ever run a gas chromatograph?” Grace fired off.

“No.”

“Any actual lab work at all?”

“High school chemistry. But I ditched.”

This was not the response Grace was looking for, and she wheeled on Max with a snarl.

“You see? You see? They’re pissing on us without even the courtesy of calling it rain. I’m going to Selfridge!” With that Grace stormed out of the room, people leaping out her way as the angry red head charged past. Kira stared after the woman, left feeling like a whirlwind as past through. A shared glance with Jake showed he was feeling the same way.

“Well, that went well.” Jake laughed, making Kira snort.

“You think?”

Max gave a weary sigh, turn back to the three of them with a defeated look.

“Here, tomorrow, oh eight hundred. Try to use big words.” With that he trotted off after Grace, presumably to do some damage control.

——

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit slow this chapter but just want to get the boring stuff out the way so we can get to the good shit :D


	3. Chapter 2: A whole new world, a whole new different point of view

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so admittedly I got scared of what reaction I would get so I hid for a while. My bad.
> 
> I haven’t even had the courage to read through the comments yet but I am very very greatful to those that did comment so cheers...here’s a chapter I guess!

This was the kind of thing that could become dangerously addictive.

There had been warnings of course. Lectures about the negative long term effects of driving an avatar, a long list of them, but she had disregarded them. After all, In the beginning her only objective had been to eliminate her mark and return. Kira hadn’t even thought about getting her own avatar, in complete honesty, she’d wondered why they’d even bothered to take her DNA in the first place. Of course they’d said it was to blend in, in order to get closer to her target...but it had never really added up. Oh maybe she’d just been overly confident on how quickly she thought she’d would get the job done, though if her track record was anything to go by...

Regardless, she was here now, on Pandora. Far, far from earth and the reach of the organisation who once controlled her.

No matter how long she’d been in Cryo, Kira’s body still remembered the routine of waking up before dawn, It was almost instinctual. Readying herself for the day ahead, Kira was quick to dress and complete her morning rituals. After doing some stretches and light exercises, (her muscles were still stiff from the long journey and she needed to reacquaint herself with her body), she exited the room she shared with her other fellow female avatar drivers and retraced her steps to the cafeteria. It wasn’t long until she was joined by Jake and Norman and after a quick breakfast, the three hastily made their way to the link station.

Kira was beginning to be overcome with slight nervousness and curious excitement, emotions she was sorely unaccustomed to. Now she wished she’d listened just a little closer to the warnings and lectures she’d had to endure in the past. If she knew more, perhaps the Ex-assassin wouldn’t feel like such a fish out of water, venturing into unknown territory.

Today they would be linking with their avatars for the first time.

—

When they arrived, the link room was just as busy as it had been the day before, scientists buzzing back and forth like machines. Kira could see that some of the psionic link units were already In use, the adjacent screens matching each link showing the vital signs of the drivers encased in the sleek coffin like machines.

“Hi guys-“ the familiar voice of Max called to them, bringing their attention to said man who stood near a large window across the room. “-you’re early, excellent. Dr. Augustine will be with us shortly.”

Glancing through the window allowed them to peer into a large adjoining chamber with three long gurneys lining one wall, each supporting a tall blue figure. The closest avatar to the glass screen was Jakes, it’s chest rising and falling steadily as if it was just sleeping. Now that the tall creatures were out of the tanks, their skin seemed even richer in colour, the small freckle like stars gleaming under the harsh glare of spot lights. Each avatar was being attended to by separate teams of med-techs in eco-masks, they looked comically small standing near the slumbering lithe figures, like children.

“This is unreal.” Jake breathed out in disbelief and Kira couldn’t help but echo the sentiment, her eyes locked onto her own Avatar in the gurney furthest from them.

“So you managed to find your way back, good. Let’s not waste time.” Came the sharp voice of Grace Augustine herself from behind them. With a jerk of her head telling them to follow the red headed doctor lead them away form the glass separating them from their avatars and towards the side of the room which had the most empty link units.

“Norm, your in this one, Kira you’re in the one next to him. I trust you know what you’re doing” Grace pointed to the link units in question before looking at Jake with a slight scowl, leading him further away from the other two. “-and you’re over here.”

Tuning the rest of Dr.Agustine’s somewhat scathing conversation with Jake, Kira turned her attention on the link unit she’d been directed towards. Surprisingly (or perhaps not) it was just like the practice units they’d had during the training back on earth and she only hesitated a moment before beginning to tap the screen of the link monitor to being setting it up for link initiation. See, she had listened and learned in some aspects of the ADP training she’d gone through, thank goodness. A quick glance at Norm showed him doing the same.

As soon as she set up the initial process, a link tech was there to finish it as she moved to lie down on the bed of warm fluid gel packs lining the unit. Kira then pulled down the biometric sensors that would monitor her vitals whilst she was linked with her avatar.

Taking a deep breath, Otokami nodded to the technician to close the lid of her unit. All of a sudden the noise of the lab was almost completely snuffed out, leaving only faint muffled noises to reach her ears. It was a closed in space and Kira was quick to let her eyes slide shut to block out the creeping sense of claustrophobia, taking controlled breaths to calm herself down.

She couldn’t believe this was finally happening, it felt like just yesterday she was sitting besides Tomas as he enthusiastically described the process of linking with their avatars.

_“-And then you just have to let your mind go blank. Crazy Isn’t it, how simple that sounds but it’s arguably the hardest part!”_

For some perhaps but for Kira ,who’d spent many years seeking control over her body and mind , forcing her mind to go blank was almost a defence mechanism at this point.

So, as she’d done so many times before, the Ex-assassin took a steadying breath and carefully cleared her mind...

—

It felt like going to sleep...like she blinked, there was a brief flash of radiant streamers coalescing into a pulsing tunnel of light —and she was suddenly opening her eyes into a somewhat blurry, brightly lit room with two masked faces looking down at her. 

“That was quick Otokami, I think you just set a new record for fastest link time. The other two are still in transition.”

One of the blurry figures told her. The voice seemed...louder then it should be and Kira found herself grimacing as she adjusted to her new painfully sensitive hearing, ears twitching as they registered the snapping of fingers on each side of her face moments later.

“Hearing looks good.”

Blinking a few times, her eyesight quickly focused bringing everything into almost overwhelming clarity, her field of vision suddenly crisp and sharp in detail. For a moment It took her breath away as she scanned the ceiling studying every minuscule detail, even picking out the tiny specs and particles visible in the air, ignoring the way the med-tech was waving at her.

“Otokami! Kira, I need you to focus on me.” The voice drew her attention back to the second technician, striking golden eyes focusing with a predatory precision.

“Hello.” Kira breathed, getting a feel for her new voice box and mouth. Her voice was slightly husky, no doubt from never using it in this body before, but there was a pleasant lilting chime to it. Unbidden, a smile stretched across her face. She felt...incredible, eager to get to know this new body. Kira felt different in the best way possible, as if she’d just shrugged off a heavy cumbersome back pack or shed her skin like a snake.

New and alive—so so alive.

“Good, thought we lost you for a moment there.” Kira hummed in acknowledgement, whilst taking her body into account and slowly mentally working her way down from head to toe.

Taking deep breaths, (her lungs felt three times the size suddenly), she slowly propped herself up on her elbows and surveyed the length of her new body. It was slightly jarring to look down and see long blue legs instead of her usual pale skin, her lithe torso covered by an avatar sized patient gown. Kira began wiggling her toes experimentally and pushed herself to sit upright, shrugging off the praise of the two hovering med-techs. Bringing her hands up to inspect, she clenched them into fists and opened them up again a few times before stretching them above her head. Each movement was slow, controlled and deliberate and Kira just knew this body was capable of so much more then her old one.

She longed to test out just how fast she could run on her long legs as she watched the muscles coil and stretch as she threw them over the side of the gurney, resting her bare feet on the cold concrete ground.

“Easy there Kira , you’re looking good but let’s not rush things.”

“Don’t worry, I’m in control.” She assured them, rolling her shoulders back and stretching her neck back and forth. Now Kira was sitting up properly, she took a moment to look around the room.

Jake and Norm were starting to stir and go through the process of getting to know their new bodies, no doubt adjusting to the increased hearing and sight as she had. Past them was the window they’d looked through not fifteen minutes ago, and Kira spotted max staring back at her between glances at his tablet.

Beyond him was the link room and from here she could even see her own link unit. The feeling of almost seeing her own unconscious body was akin to an outer body experience and Kira had to look away to ground herself again.

“I want to stand up.” She announced before planting her feet and slowly pushing herself off of the gurney to give herself a chance to gain her balance. It was surprisingly easy and it was that moment that she caught sight of her long tail as it wavered and snaked behind her in an effort to help keep her balanced.

Kira bared her teeth in a pleased grin.

She needed to test this body out now, she couldn’t wait any longer.

It was then that a commotion across the room caught her attention. Glancing over she saw that Jake was already stood up, though he wavered dangerously, his tail lashing furiously in a mixture of excitement and annoyance as the Med-techs rushed over to make him get back on the gurney. Needless to say Jake wasn’t having it.

Catching her eye over the swarming technicians Jake grinned in open glee, looking back down at his working legs before taking a staggering step forward.

“Easy, Jake, I need you to sit down—“ one of them began to say but Jake was off, taking another jarring step until the bio-monitors pulled taut on him. Spotting the exit Jake yanked the monitor wires off of his chest and head and clumsily but hastily made a break for the exit.

Seeing her chance Kira unhooked her own monitors, ignoring how this set off a beeping alarm and the med-tech began shouting at her, and took chase after the Ex-marine. Her own stride was a lot smoother then jakes, but still her first few steps were somewhat wobbly. There were shouts and warnings behind her, but Kira felt too exhilarated to care as she bounded off after the surprisingly swift Jake.

Her first breath of fresh air and morning sun in her face almost stopped her in her tracks but the urge to run and move over rode her awe and she kept going. The wind and sun felt incredible on her skin as she broke into a slightly awkward lope following the path her friend took across the Avatar compound.

As she ran she slowly began to pick up more and more speed until she was covering ground with massive stretched strides, gaining on Jake. It didn’t take long for her to shoot past Jake, startling her friend slightly who whooped and laughed after her, attempting to pick up his pace to match hers.

At this point Kira was overcome by all the information her new senses where giving her. The wind felt incredible as it pushed against her body and tugged at her long braided hair that flew behind, also making her patient gown flap around her legs. At the back of her head it registered that Jake could probably see her ass.

She didn’t care.

The earth beneath her feet and between her toes felt heavenly as she sprinted between rows and rows of what looked like cultivated fruit bushes. By now she was going so fast her surroundings weren’t even registering, the wild beating of her heart urging her to keep going, run faster. This must be what freedom felt like. Kira had long since out ran Jake but the Ex-assassin didn’t stop, continuing to sprint and push her body as far and as fast as she could, arms pumping to keep her momentum going. The smile was still firmly planted on her face.

It was only when she suddenly came upon and tall menacing metal fence that Kira was forced to skid to a halt, feet burying into the loose soil beneath her in an effort to stop her from crashing into the wall. Beyond it was the tall mysterious forests of Pandora, beckoning to her as she stood, chest heaving and stared back with wild, gleaming golden eyes. Her eyes snapped back and forth taking in every shade of green, purple and blue she could see before dropping to the ground below her, clenching her toes into the soil.

Even the dirt looked gorgeous, the rich browns contrasting her cerulean and azure skin as it coated her barefooted feet. Kira found herself crouching to scoop up a handful of soil and taking a deep breath before letting it fall between her long fingers. Even her skin felt more sensitive, goosebumps prickling before she rubbed her palms down her arms to smooth them back out.

She was overwhelmed by it all and tears of awe trickled from her eyes forcing her to squeeze them closed to block some of the world around her. Kira took a moment to centre herself, realising now that she’d been so swept up in new emotions and feelings of everything around her she’d acted recklessly. No doubt they were looking for her and she was in trouble. She wasn’t even sure how far she’d bolted, and she wondered if she’d have ever stopped had the fence not been in her way.

Sucking in a deep breath, she paused as she...tasted the air. It was sweet, fresh but she could also detect the earthiness of the ground below her and then slightly damp scent of the forest floor beyond the tree line. Tilting her heard back, her nostrils flared as she explored yet another new depth to her senses. She could detect the salt of her sweat, the sugar in the fruits growing on the bushes around her, the soil, a hint of clogging oil and machinery carried back from the base on the wind and-.

Her eyes snapped open to scan the tree line not 20 yards away, body adopting a low defensive crouch as she bared her teeth in warning. She had caught the slight musk of a male, but there was something different about it, exotic and wild in a way she’d never smelt before. Her own scent still carried a hint of her human DNA but the male was all Na’vi. It was striking enough that she could instantly tell the difference. His scent was sharper, wilder and her lips parted once more as she subconsciously tasted it.

Kira was aware that since a certain event the Na’vi were now hostile to any Avatar drivers they came across and tended to kill on sight. So what was one doing so close to base?

Though she couldn’t see anything, Kira knew someone was out there, watching. Out in the open with only a fruit bush,(with odd deep purple leaves), on either side of her Kira had no cover and felt extremely exposed. The only thing she could do was slowly back away, tail lashing threateningly and ears pricked for any noise or movement as she kept her eyes fixed on the tree line. For a split second her mind flashed back to the long deadly looking arrows she’d seen the day before and she prayed whoever was out there was not about to open fire on her. Though she had a better chance in this body, she still had no doubt one well placed arrow would kill her. Kira had no idea what that kind of trauma would do to her if she was to die in one body and return to the other.

Once she was a decent distance from the perimeter Kira spun on her heel and darted off, getting behind cover as soon as she could to hopefully break the line of sight before she continued to book it back the way she came. Silently she cursed the patient robe which once again was showing off her ass as she ran.

——

Surprisingly ,when Kira got back to the main area of the Avatar compound,(after ten minutes of continuous running which incredible only left her softly panting), Grace wasn’t pissed that all three, as apparently Norm had gone after them both, had bolted from the lab.

In fact Dr.Augustine seem more amused then anything, her eyes crinkled in a grin. Grace looked younger in her Avatar body, almost...lighter.

Her eyes were brighter and there was no white in her dark braided hair, brightly coloured beads decorating the strands of hair she let dangle to frame her face. Her Avatar was tall with sharp features that paid homage to graces human body, a flat muscular stomach and and athletes outline. She was dressed in shorts and a tank top, designed to fit correctly with boots on her feet that Kira couldn’t help but grimace at.

“Well let’s not waste time, glad to see you could rejoin us Otokami. Now as funny as it was seeing your ass in the wind as you sprinted off to god knows where, i can’t have you lot running round flashing people. Selfridge might get the wrong idea and start questioning if it really is a science division I’m running here. Follow me.”

In short order, they were lead off to a smaller cabin that they used as a storage shed, it held a lot of the supplies and large science equipment and at the back were three large bins stocked with clothings. It was mostly made up of shorts and tank tops (due to the tropical weather here) and they were quick to change as behind separate privacy panels whilst grace explained that they’d have clothing made for their avatars for when they went out on expeditions.

“For now this’ll have to do, there’s boots on that shelf over there, find your size then meet me out side. It’s time to test out just how well you’re driving your new bodies kitties.” Kira grimaced and decided against wearing the cumbersome footwear, feeling like her balance and grip would be much better if she went barefoot. The soles of her feet were soft from never really being used but the more she walked o them the sooner they’d toughen up. Instead she joined Grace outside and waited for the other two.

Now she had a chance to look around, Kira realised she missed a lot whilst she’d been racing the wind. The Avatar compound was made up of a multiple large wooden cabins dotted around the area, large fields of cultivated plant life taking up a good chunk of the space. Closer to the lab where they’d exited from was a small Astro turf basket ball pitch and past that was various obstacle courses, no doubt there to test and hone their Avatar driving skills. Kira was already itching to go, her eyes darting back and forth eagerly.

“Not gonna bolt on me again are you rookie?” Grace chuckled when she noticed the bright eyed look the other woman was giving the near by sand arenas which held the various challenges they used to keep their Avatars fit and healthy.

“I’ll restrain myself.” Kira chuckled, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Luckily she didn’t have to wait long as Jake and Norm soon joined them outside, Jake was grinning just as wildly as Kira, his eyes bright and eager.

“Damn I swear you broke the sound barrier when you shot by me before, for a moment I thought you were actually running from something you were going so fast!” Jake laughed as he sidled up beside her, making Kira chuckle.

“You didn’t look like you were interested in slowing down either, still you had a head start and I still surpassed you. Up your game marine, how bout we settle this and see who’s the fastest doing the obstacles .” She challenged with a smirk, eyes flashing in challenge. Something about this new body and the fresh air had her feeling mischievous. Jake grinned, throwing an arm over her shoulder.

“You’re on!”

——

By dusk Kira was well and truly worn out, but she still didn’t want this to end.

Needless to say she’d wiped the grown with Jake and had taken great joy in absolutely demolishing etc task with flair. Usually she’d have never been this cocky but the high of being in her avatar still hadn’t worn off, for any of them in fact. Despite the weariness starting to weight her down Kira waited until the last possible moment being Grace had finally chased her into the “long house” where they kept the avatars.

Grace had given her a look of understanding when she’d found Kira sitting on the steps of the tropical-style construction, staring up at the multiple moons as the light began to fade.

“I know it’s hard, but we all have to wake up eventually.” She’d told Kira before ushering her to the last empty wooden bed in the long house. Many of the other drivers had already unlinked, but Kira was still holding onto her last moments like this, staring up at the tall beamed ceiling.

But Grace was right everyone had to wake up eventually.

Pulling the insect netting around her cot, the Ex-assassin lay on her back after pulling her long braid over her shoulder so she wouldn’t trap it under her whilst she...slept?

“Lights out amigos. See ya’ at dinner.” Grace called to the few who were still linked as she turned off the lights and locked up for the night before retreating to her own cot.

Running her hand down the length of her hair, Kira waited until the last person had unliked, listening to the screeches and hoots from the distant forest as somewhat wishing she was out there. Her mind drifted to the scent of the Na’vi she’d caught before and she Idly wondered where he was right now.

With a sigh she closed her eyes and let her mind go blank.

Suddenly it was so much harder.

——

Kira was the last one to de-link.

For a few moments all she could do was lie there and breath, staring up at the lid of the link unit and fighting the urge to try and close her eyes and go back to her Avatar. Her body felt heavy, like all the trauma and misery had been lifted away for a breath of air before behind slammed back into her. Aches and pains she’d long since grown used to were suddenly painful and insistent after being free of them in her other body. Even breathing felt that little bit harder.

With a groan, she pushed the link unit open, wincing as the bright lights of the lab hit her watering eyes. Pushing back the biometric sensors, she sat up with a sigh and rubbed her eyes. Her head was beginning to ache but she ignored it and swung her legs over the side of the unit, taking a moment to glance around. It wasn’t as busy as before, most likely as a lot of the scientist had gone to the cafeteria for dinner, but there was still quite a few people dotted about.

Kira felt...like she’d lost something. Things were different now, she felt different, like something was missing.

Looking around, colours that had been vibrant and breathtaking now looked dull and lifeless. Her ears strained to hear more, like she’d been able to in her other body and she found herself trying to scent the air a couple times. It was no use, in this body everything was dulled down one more like someone had altered the settings on a tablet screen and worsened the quality. It was insanely frustrating and Kira found herself rubbing at her eyes constantly to try and ‘clear’ her vision to no avail. Frustrated, she stood and shut down her link unit. Going through the motions helped but as she caught up with Jake, (who had waited for her), she could see by the look on his face he was feeling the loss just as much if not more then she was. The two shared a look of understanding before quietly making there way to dinner.

——

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I can’t wait to get to the exciting stuff, I have a lot written already but we just need to get past the “intro” chapters first.
> 
> Also I want these first chapter to begin to show character development, after all Kira is going from a mindless assassin (haha ass-assin coz she flashed her ass a few times in this chapter) to someone with a personality. Hopefully I manage to portray that as we get further into this story.
> 
> I’ve skipped some minor things (dialogue etc) that didn’t really need to be in this. Coz BORING.
> 
> P.S. Have no fear Tsu’tey will soon appear! ;)


	4. Chapter 3: welcome to the jungle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Tentatively offers chapter*
> 
> I suck at keeping to a time/skedule, I’m sorry! I’ve been a busy bee (hello beeeees, critical role anyone?)
> 
> Anywho here’s a chapter, we’re almost at the good stuff :D 
> 
> Thanks for commenting and leaving kudos, imma read and reply to comments now. I don’t mean for it to take so long, I’m not the most competent social butterfly. 
> 
> Enjoy...I hope

The next morning Kira was still feeling somewhat melancholic but she pushed it aside and made her way to breakfast.

“Hey Kira.” Jake greeted her as she slid onto the bench seat across from him, the rest of the table filled with other avatars drivers and scientists. It seemed Kira was the last to arrive. Sending a nod of greeting to Jake, she glanced down the table at the others, giving a mildly amused huff at Grace having a heated discussion with another scientist. That woman never dialled it back, did she? Kira mused.

Around the room, miners, troopers and other base personnel wolfed down their breakfasts in groups, each seeming the keep to a designated table. Kira even caught a few troopers casting dirty looks their way, and rolled her eyes. It was basic training back on earth all over again.

“So how you holding up this morning?” She asked Jake, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands. Her mind still felt worn out after yesterday, Jake and Norm looking just as she felt with dark circles under their eyes. Apparently it was a side effect of linking, but it would get better in time as they improved their mental stamina. Like strengthening a muscle.

“Not so bad, my head doesn’t feel like someone used it as a football anymore. What about you? You were the last to unlink yesterday, what was that about?”

“Oh you know just...savouring the view.” She shrugged, glancing away to scan the room.

“Sure...”Jake said a look of concern marring his features.

“How long have they been like this?” She asked, changing the subject, jutting her chin at the other people on their table, all having various intense conversations about some form of science or another. This early in the morning it was making her head ache to attempt to make any sense of it, thank god for Sully’s down to earth presence. She was an (Ex-)assassin not a scientist after all.

“Since I got here, it’s like they never stop working. Even Norm wasn’t interested in having a ‘normal’ conversation. Eventually I gave up and just decided I’d wait for you.”

“Sorry I took so long.” She snorted.

“Me too.” Jake grimaced, shaking from his head his attempts to engage in conversation with his ‘fellow’ avatar drivers. They looked and treated him like the weird kid in high school no one wanted to be stuck with. He was grateful Kira turned up when she did or he’d have left to find trouble elsewhere.

The two idly chatted back and forth whilst they had breakfast, talking about their experience with their Avatars and the questionable quality of the cafeteria food. Jake even told a few stories of his marine days and the ‘food’ he’d been made to eat during his time doing tours. If felt good to just...talk with someone again, she’d forgotten how much she enjoyed this.

Kira glanced up towards the approaching stomp of booted feet, catching sight of a dark haired woman dressed in a flight suit coming towards them. Looking to Jake she tilted her head in the woman’s direction slightly drawing his attention. It was clear she was headed straight for them and Kira braced in preparation for whatever the pilot wanted.

“ Sully? Dr.Otokami? Colonel wants a word, he’s wait’n for ya in the Armour Bay.” The woman spoke briskly, standing by their table. Jake frowned in confusion but nodded, glancing over at Kira who wore a similar frown of irritation.

“Both of us? Any clue why?” He asked the pilot, who’s dog tags on Kira’s quick inspection read: PILOT TRUDY CHACON.

“No idea, but better get your asses down there ASAP. Colonel ain’t one to be kept wait’n. I’m here to show you the way.” Kira’s lips thinned as she clenched her jaw, casting a glance to the rest of the table. Grace was watching closely with narrowed eyes, a scowl on her face. ‘That wasn’t a good sign’, she thought, her irritation spiking to anger.

As much as Kira had been playing make believe, she still had a cover to maintain. She was balancing on a knifes edge, and only now was she really beginning to see the reality of her ballsy decision She was essentially pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes, even Jakes. Kira had to make everyone believe she was one of them, on their side. There wasn’t really an endgame plan just yet, she was making it up as she went, flying by the seat of her pants as Thomas would say. Taking a risk. Living on the edge and damn she couldn’t even say she regretted it.

This would be the hardest con she’d ever had to pull off and the Colonel was making it harder for her. A scowl made its way to her own face as she got up to follow Jake and the Pilot-Trudy out of the cafeteria, the burning gaze of Dr.Augustine drilling into her back.

//

The Armour Bay was on the other side of the base to the link lab and Avatar compound. Strategically placed considering the scientists relationship with most troopers, and Kira mused if it was planned or just happenstance.

It was a pretty self explanatory name for the place, the Armour Bay, as it was were a lot of the weapons, Amp-suits (the massive mechanical suits that one man could operate) and some of the smaller aircrafts were stored and maintained. Several said SA-2 Samson work-horses lined each side of the gallery they made their way down, many of them sporting hefty artillery, in the from of door guns and rocket pods.

From the state of this area, Kira thought the base looked ready to go to war, eyes sweeping backwards and forwards, scoping out the types and amounts of weaponry they kept here. It made her feel somewhat unsettled to see it all, even more so because it was familiar. Jake gave a low whistle of appreciation at the display, looking towards their guide.

“You guys’re packing some heavy ordinance.” Trudy scoffed, nodding her head with a smirk, stopping by a Samson craft that Kira guessed the woman herself piloted.

“Yeah, ‘cause we’re not the only thing flyin’ around out there. Or the biggest.” She said. Kira drowned the rest of it out, turning her attention to the plane-helicopter hybrid they stood by. Sure enough she could see signs of wear and tear, claw and teeth marks littering the metal like scars. Kira’s eyes shone as she wondered just what was out there beyond the fence line. Everything in her was desperate to go out an explore it all, discover as much as she could of the planet Thomas had loved so much.

“See ya on the flight-line, zero nine.-“ Trudy said, pulling Kira back out of her head as the other woman pointed past them.

“He’s down there.” Following her pointed finger, Kira grimaced as she caught sight of the Colonel himself. He was the same prick who given the briefing on their first day on pandora. Fantastic. She reluctantly followed Jake as the eager ex-marine took point and lead the way towards the stern faced man who was currently bench pressing weights, the veins popping out in his arms as he strained his muscles. Kira was unimpressed.

“What was that I heard about us meeting on the flight-line?” Otokami whispered to Jake as they continued moving towards the where the makeshift gym was set up.

“Oh yeah, Grace announced it before you made it to breakfast. We’re taking the Avatars for another spin, only this time we’re going off base.” Kira’s eyes lit up immediately, her mood lifting as she thought of the chance to get to link with her avatar again and better yet, go beyond the fence! Before she had a chance to express her excitement, they reached Quaritch. The ex-Assassin was quick to let her expression go blank, eyes fixed on the scared man with a sharp edge to them.

“Colonel you wanted to speak with us?” Jake spoke up respectfully, causing the other man to look up at them. He smirked when he saw them and Kira’s skin crawled.

“This low gravity makes you soft.-“ he drawled, finishing his last rep before sitting up. “You get soft, Pandora will shit you out dead with zero warning.”

“Yeah you mentioned that in the briefing.” Kira dully intoned. The colonels eyes snapped back to her only now there was a darker look in them. It made the Assassin in her pay attention to the man and assess just how much of a threat he might be. The look soon turned back into that irritating smirk he’d worn moments ago as he moved to stand, towering above them both.

“Good to hear you were listening, a lot of people don’t take Pandora seriously. Those people end up dead.” He said, casting a look at her again before turning his attention back to Jake as if Kira wasn’t worth his time.

“I pulled your record, Corporal. Venezuela—that was some mean bush. Nothing like this here, though. You got heart kid, coming out here, part of the reason I wanted to speak with you.” “I figured -- just another hellhole.” Jake shrugged, casting a slightly awkward glance towards Kira who stood rigidly besides him, looking at the Colonel with an unreadable expression on her face.

“You weren’t wrong!” Quaritch chuckled, clapping him on the back. Jake could’ve sworn he saw Kira’s fists clench dangerously when the older man touched him and then began to lead him out away from the makeshift gym they stood in.

“Otokami, wait for me in my office, I’d like a word with you after I speak with Sully.” Quaritch barked over his shoulder, making Kira freeze as she watched her friend and the colonel walk back towards where the Amp-suits were lined up. She watched them talk for a moment, glaring at the other man before spinning on her heel and disappearing in search of Quaritch’s office.

It didn’t take her long to find the room that over looked the Armour Bay and she quickly scoped it out before turning to lean against the desk and watch the door. It was a while until Quaritch showed up and Kira seethed, knowing he had purposely kept her waiting, knowing he had the power over her to make her wait. She waited until he closed the door before she spoke.

“So you’re who they assigned to watch me.” She stated, careful to stop herself from hissing the words at the man. Now was not the time to show any emotions the bastard could exploit or report back to her handlers on Earth. The worst thing that could happen now was her getting shipped back home prematurely against her will, every bit of freedom she’d managed to steal would be lost.

The only way she was going back to Earth now was in a body bag.

“Yes I am, so I’d watch my tone if I was you Otokami.” He drawled gruffly, moving past her to seat himself at the high backed chair behind the desk. Kira stopped herself from acting as he moved past her, turning on her heel to keep her eyes on him. She wouldn’t risk turning her back on this prick. Everything about him had her bristling defensively, he reminded her so much of her handlers back on Earth and she hated him.

“Are you trying to blow my cover, colonel? By pulling me out of the cafeteria like that, very publicly, you’ve created suspicion towards me. J- Sully has an excuse, he’s an ex-marine. I, however, am suppose to be a scientist. Therefore I have no reason to be in your office right now. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She snarled, coldly glaring down at the seated man. Quaritch met her eyes with an unimpressed look of his own, leaning back in his seat.

“As the one appointed to keeping you inline and insuring you complete the contract, I wanted to introduce myself and have this meeting serve as a...reminder of what you’re here to do and the consequences of what happens if you fail.” That had her straightening up, a cold feeling of dread crawling down her spine.

“I’ve read your file, the real one, not the bullshit they sent the red headed bitch. I’m impressed Otokami, I’ll admit. Over two hundred confirmed kills, three tours in some of the worst war zones known to man. The obvious choice for this mission undoubtedly. You’re the best of the best, feared and respected by those who employ the skills of those of your kind...or you were. My only question is, what happened?” Quaritch scoffed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk and lean towards her. Kira clenched her jaw, refusing to answer him, the anger was already almost at boiling point. He grinned.

“Oh but I already know the answer to that. Thomas Sully. What was it Otokami? Did you fall in love-“ he spoke mockingly, making her clench her fists till her knuckles where white. How dare he talk about her friend like that, she’d kill him.

“He open y’eyes? Make you wish for something more then what you’d been dealt? Was that really all it took to turn your sight from the next mission?...” She was practically quivering with rage now, his words hitting too close to home.

“ Was it worth it? His death for a taste of freedom? Does it hurt to know he died for nothing?” Kira slammed her fists down on the desk with a loud bang, blazing eyes glaring at the Colonel as she looked down at him.

“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you. Permanently.” She spoke softly, a dangerous lilt to her voice, but Quaritch only smirked and sat back again.

“If you fail this mission, guess who pays the price? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not you.” Kira froze, eyes widening slightly, her mind was quick to connect the dots. Jake....no. NO. She wouldn’t allow it, Kira would rather die then loose another friend because of her actions. They hadn’t been friends long but he was so like Thomas that Jake had easily won her over and Kira already cared for him. Perhaps she also felt she owed him a debt, after all his brothers death was ultimately her doing. Clenching her jaw she steeled herself and straightened up to sneer down at the Colonel.

He smirked, seeing the realisation on her face.

“Let me stop you there. I am not one of your soldiers. I am not under you’re command. I came here to do a job, and I’ll damn well do it. If you get in my way, well...you’re aware of my profession. Compromise my position again and I will demonstrate exactly why I was chosen for this contract.” With that she walked out, only allowing her adrenaline fuelled shakes to wrack her body once she knew the Colonel could no longer see her.

Oh god this was worse then she’d first thought. So that’s why they sent him, Jake Sully, a man with no scientific training who barely knew the basics of how to link with an avatar. Kira was sure there were other reasons too but this had answered a few questions that had been knocking around her head since she met the man. How the hell was she going to pull this off? The prospect of it all was daunting now, when before it had seemed like a challenge. Before she had been the only one who would’ve paid the price.

Now she knew if she fucked this up, Jake would die too...

And that was unacceptable, failure wasn’t an option.

//

Trudy had informed her that Jake had waited for her but had had to go to the link bay to get ready for their outing. Kira needed to get a move on if she was going to make it in time, and as much as her mood had dropped, the prospect of linking with her avatar had her sprinting back across base. She made in it about fifteen minutes, and slowed to a walk as she neared the lab. Now back in ‘safe’ territory away from Quaritch and the other marines she took a few moments to calm herself. Kira new as much as his words had shook her, they hadn’t broken her resolve.

The Colonel wasn’t wrong, she was the best of the best and she’d figure out a way to come out on top, she always did.

“What did he want?!” Grace pounced on her the second she entered the lab. Kira had been expecting it however so the red headed woman didn’t receive a fist to the face for startling her.

“He tried to intimidate me into working for him, as an inside man. Emphasis on tried.” Kira growled, her answer ready to fire the second she’d walked through the doors. She knew Dr.Augustine would want to know why Quaritch had wanted to speak with her the second she left the cafeteria.

“And ...what did you tell him?” Kira paused, spinning on her heel to face Grace and level a sharp grin at her.

“I told him to fuck off.” In a round about way...’get in my way and I’ll kill you’ could be considered a more extreme way of telling someone to fuck off. What could she say, she didn’t respond well when people threatened her friends. The grin that split Graces face had Kira reciprocating the expression, though somewhat subdued.

“Knew there was something I liked about you, Otokami. Right, let’s link up and get moving! We’re on the flight line in ten minutes.” Kira followed Dr.Augustine as she lead the way into the Link Bay, her eyes bright with excitement.

She couldn’t wait to link up again, all thought of her conversation with Quaritch taking a back seat in favour of her eagerness. Catching sight of Jake and Norm nearby and she sent them a nod of greeting, they were both already getting ready to link up, standing by their designated link pods. Jake smiled and sent her a cheerful wave, his own excitement shinning just as bright as hers. Kira was sure Grace had also given him a dressing down about the Colonel and couldn’t deny she was curious as to what the man had said to her friend too. Perhaps she’d ask Jake about it later.

“ I’m not surprised Quaritch tried to get to you, he’s tried it on a couple of our people. That son of a bitch has screwed up this program enough. All this exists so we can go out there and build a bridge of trust to these people, who could teach us so much. But thanks to Quaritch and his thugs the Na’vi won’t even talk to us anymore.” Grace ranted, directing Otokami to the pod to the left of Jakes.

“Then how’s this supposed to work?” Jake piped up, pulling himself up and into the bed of his link pod.

“We have some new faces.” Grace said without missing a beat though she gave the other man a slight side eye. Apparently whatever progress had been made between the older woman and Sully had been lost after this mornings encounter with Quaritch.

“ Norm, Kira. You’re fluent, you’ve studied the culture. You’re non-threatening. The ones we know best -- the Omaticaya clan -- may give you a chance. Maybe one of you can get them back to the table before things go tits-up for good. I hand picked the final candidates with this goal in mind. I had hoped to have Thomas Sully on my team too, he’d was ranked the highest in his group. Shame, he would’ve been a great help.”

Kira winced at the mentioned of her late friend, her guilt putting a damper of her exuberance. Thomas would’ve been brilliant here, and she was sure he'd have won Grace over and then probably the Na’vi too! He had just had a way about him that got through to people. This had been his dream and for the millionth time she felt a stab of self hatred and guilt that knowing her had taken that dream, his life, from him.

“This is failing as a pep talk.” Norm muttered lamely, no doubt feeling the pressure of Graces expectations.

“Okay so, how do we contact them?” Jake asked, pausing before he pulled his link shut. Kira wasn’t far behind him, already having set the link sequence up and laid back in her link bed. “We don’t.-“ Grace said bluntly.

“They contact us. If they see us taking our samples, treating the forest with respect, not trampling everything in sight -- they may reach out to us.”

“Or they may skin us and make a drum.” Jake grumbled making Kira snort.

“Full of optimism you Sully. I’m sure with that mindset the Na’vi will be so eager to speak with us!” Kira smirked when Jake threw his hand up and flipped her off.

“Just keep your mouth shut Sully and let Norm, Kira and Me to do the talking. And for the love of god don’t be a distraction.” Grace sighed and everyone could see the woman’s patience wearing thin. The unspoken agreement for everyone to get a move on had them closing the links doors and initiating the link process for fear of the Doctors wrath. Show time.

//

It was exhilarating to be back in her avatar body.

Kira felt like she’d been counting the minutes until she was allowed to go back and experience it all again. The true smile on her face was back and it seemed Jake felt the same way as he was grinning just as wide. His avatar was a fair few inches taller then hers but she easily matched her stride to his, the two joking together as they followed Grace and Norm (also in their avatars) to the air traffic runway.

This time Kira was reining her senses in somewhat, trying not to get distracted by every little sight, smell and sound her body picked up on. It helped that Jake was keeping her occupied (he kept trying to catch the tip of her tail as it lashed back and forth) and the two grinned sheepishly at Grace when she snapped at them both to stop acting like children. They withheld the ‘He/she started it’ that tried to escape them.

Kira couldn’t help but marvel at how carefree and happy she felt in this body, like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. She relished the utter sense of freedom it granted her. Making it to the flight line they wasted no time in packing up and getting in the aircraft, Kira and Jake sending a quick greeting to their pilot- Trudy that they’d met this morning.

Soon enough they were airborn and Kira watched with hungry eager eyes as they took off from the base towards the fence line. It was almost anti-climatic when they passed the borders of the base, as if she’d been holding her breath for something bad to happen that never did. Then she was swept away by the beauty of the world below getting lost in her awe as she watched Pandora fly by.

Over a dense Carpet of rainforest, they flew, the vibrant green occasionally giving way to sheer cliffs and cloud-wreathed mesas. Though the Samson tilt-rotor seemed large when they first boarded it, it had to be to carry four Fully formed avatars, it was dwarfed in comparison to the hulking trees and vast primeval landscape below. Kira couldn’t help it as her mind drifted to the scars she’d seen on this very craft earlier and found herself scanning the skies for any other aerial predators.

Though Grace had been disgruntled, they were accompanied by a trooper-Wainfleet he was called, who manned one of the door guns and she couldn’t help but feeling mildly nervous at how on edge he looked. Then she glanced at Grace and saw how calm the woman was and shrugged off her mild unease. Grace had been out here hundreds of times, Kira decided she’d only get worried if Augustine did. Sitting back in her seat, Kira enjoyed the view, watching the forest unrolling beneath them, the wind blasting her clothes and hair.

A few feet over, Jake manned the other door gun but was watching the scene below more then the skies around them with the same look of excitement and awe as her. They shared a quick grin when their eyes met before they both went back to gawking. Kira held onto the strap above her head as the craft banked to follow a shallow river that cut through the lush forest below like a knife.

A gasp left her as she suddenly caught sight of the massive heard of six-legged creatures thundering across the river, the size of them taking her by surprise. If they were this big form this high up she could only imagine the sheer immensely of the beasts if she saw them on foot.

” Sturmbeest herd, one o’clock.” Trudy called through the intercom and Kira wanted to snort at the thought of any of them not spotting the huge animals charging ahead of them. Still she grinned wildly as Norm pointed excitedly and Jake leant as far out as he could to get a better look. It was unlike anything they’d ever seen before, in person at least. She supposed they were almost reminiscent of buffalo in a way, a creature that had long since gone extinct on her home planet but she had seen pictures of. Then again on second thought, not really...

“Looks like a bull, six cows and some juveniles” Grace supplied as they continued to stare, smiling at the looks of their faces.

“The bull has the red on the dorsal armor?” Norm asked pointing at the biggest bastard that lead the heard at the front. Kira gawked at the massive Bull, it was built like a tank, she didn’t think any bullet or weapon she had could pierce the hide on that thing.

Eventually they passed the heard as it made its way back into the forest, the group continuing to follow the river till it lead to a large lake. Hundreds of purples winged creatures took flight from the lake surface as the shadow of the Samson fell over them, skimming the water above their own reflections. It was a breathtaking sight and Kira wished she could freeze and save it in memory forever.

“Those are tetrapterons right?” She asked Grace, who confirmed and said that the small creatures whilst harmless were beautiful to look at. Well harmless in the way most “harmless” things on Pandora were. They could still kill you (with their venomous bite), but the small indigo beasts were easily scared off and would only bite when threatened.

God she loved this planet.

//

Another twenty minuets of flying and Grace eventually directed Trudy to bring them down in a small meadow among the towering trees. The trees, their leaves and the fern-like grass was beaten back and down by the rotor-wash as they descended, setting everyone on edge at how loudly they were announcing their arrival.

As they touched down Kira was immediately on high alert, her ears perking and twitching back and forth as she scanned the clearing for any inkling of danger. Jake and wainfleet leap out to secure the Landing Zone (LZ), scanning the tree-line warily, weapons aimed and ready.

What a good impression they were setting to any of the natives watching them Kira though, so much for them being non-hostile. If that was their aim they were sending mixed messages.

Glancing over at Grace as she motioned Trudy to shut down Samson, Kira didn’t actually move to get out until the turbines finally stopped and the world came to a strange silent stillness. Almost like it was holding its breath.

Slowly she slid from her seat to the edge of the platform, staring down at the now still grassy ground below. She wasn't sure why but this felt like a big deal, and Kira couldn’t help but hesitate. It almost felt like once she took a step off and touched the ground everything would change.

She hadn’t even realised she’d moved until her still bare feet hit the soft grassy ground below, and the world around her suddenly came back to life. Grace was talking to the others to her right but all she could think about was how soft and alive the ground felt beneath her feet. It was so much different then when she was back at the base as if the dirt back there was almost tainted, dead, disconnected, dull in comparison to this. Here though, she felt like everything was alive, and interconnected...it felt like she was home.

“Kira you with us?” Grace barked, pulled her out of her head.

“Y-yep, I’m coming!” She called back, snatching her pack from the seat were she’d left it and hurrying to join the others. Trudy and Wainfleet were staying behind with the Samson, incase they had to leave in a hurry.

The forest engulfed them in a cyan gloom as the group pushed forward following Dr.Augustine who walked with a calm confidence Kira could help but be impressed by. Even she was unnerved by how the shadows and trees were alive with the chittering sounds of alien wildlife. As excited as she’d been to see beyond the fence line, Kira was humble enough to admit she was out of her element here. As welcoming as it had first felt to step out of the Samson, like the forest was saying welcome home, the inhabitants of said forest was another case altogether.

Kira kept her senses alert, not outwardly showing her defensiveness but her eyes and ears were scanning their surroundings for and sign if movement or danger. She couldn’t help feel like the deeper they went, the more eyes watched them.

As they trudged on, Kira smirked at how high strung Jake looked with his gun raised like a terrified tourist in Hell. If one of them sneeze her friend might accidentally fire off a round. The further they went, Kira began to relax and observe the finer details around her, admiring the shafts of sunlight streaming down through the trees or the swaying tendrils of nearby plants that seemed reach for them as they passed.

Everything was so utterly alien, Kira thought as a few Prolemuris passed overhead, leaping from branch to branch. One or two paused to curiously inspect the small party below before scattering back into the foliage again when Jake jerked his rifle up at the peaceful creatures and frightened them off.

“Relax, Marine. You’re making me nervous.” Grace growled at Jake, forcing him to lower the rifle as she lead on. Jake cast a dubious look around but listened and kept the gun lowered.

After another five minutes of travel they made it unscathed to another clearing with an over grown building at its centre, made from the timbers of local trees and a thatch roof that was sporting several holes.

It was derelict and the jungle was slowly reclaiming the old wooden structure with vines, but as they got closer something stuck out to Kira about the building.

It was riddled with bullet holes.

At the realisation, her stomach dropped.

//

They didn't stay long at the abandoned school, everyone quite eager to leave the tragic place. Kira could tell being there brought up mixed emotions for Grace, and after hearing parts of the story and seeing around Inside, she’d put together a pretty good picture of what had happened here. Even without Dr.Augustine elaborating.

She left with a grim look on her face that Jake shared.

With the gear collected they left the old building and it’s memories behind and headed back into the thicket. Now that they’d been out here for a little while Kira was beginning to get a feel for things and allowed herself to relax slightly. After all, Jake was alert enough for all of them, she’d never seen him look so frazzled.

When Grace found the exposed roots of one of the hulking trees she called them to a stop and began pulling out various pieces of gear. Otokami pretended to pay attention for a while, though she was very impressed by the light show the device showed of the impulses moving through the roots, but soon found her eyes drifting back to the forest around them. She’d felt eyes on them since the moment they’d entered the jungle, and the feeling still hadn’t abated.

From what Augustine had said the Na’vi didn’t take kindly to them roaming the forests and kept constant watch on any excursions but so long as they didn’t get too close to ‘Home Tree’ they shouldn’t attack. Kira would have to be forgiven if that didn’t comfort her, she didn’t like the thought of being watched and vulnerable. From her time as an assassin she had done a lot of stalking and watching when hunting her targets.

The feeling of now being they prey and not the hunter was disconcerting.

Movement out the corner of her eye had her head snapping in Jakes direction as something caught his attention and he wandered off into the brush. With the only sense of protection they had, and no one to watch his back. Well they all had knives, though they were commissioned more for field work and taking samples then as a weapon, still Kira felt better with the small blade strapped to her thigh.

With a raised brow she glanced at the two crouched by the tree roots, Grace knew the forest better then any of them Kira figured, they’d be fine whilst she went a retrieved her idiot friend. With luck they’d be so occupied taking samples of the roots they wouldn’t even notice them gone. No one noticed as she slinked off after Jake, her footsteps light and silent as she followed his trail. He certainly wasn’t trying to be quiet that’s for sure and she winced hoping it wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention. It didn’t take long to catch up to him and she snorted at the scene before her.

The clearing they found themselves in was populated by varying sized plants that looked like pink and purple fans that spiralled up towards the sky. Jake reached out to touch one of the delicate looking leaves and jumped out of his skin when the plant recoiled violently and retracted completely into the ground.

“You're such a child.” Kira laughed, watching Jake as she leant against a tree with her arms crossed. Jake looked up in surprise at her voice then smirked impishly, touching another plant and watching it suck back into the earth.

Before he could touch another, Kira shot past him, taping the one he'd been about to and grinning as it disappeared. She laughed before bounding towards another.

“Who's the child now!” Jake laughed and chased after her, the two wearing matching smiles as they raced to tap the next Helicoradian before the other one could.

Before either of them could hit another plant the whole colony sucked back into the ground leaving the two of them exposed in the centre of the clearing. Staring wide eyed at the huge heard of six-legged beasts that the two suddenly found themselves face to face with. And they did _not_ look happy.

Thanks to Thomas’s passionate ramblings, Kira knew what these things were too. Hammerhead Titanothere; massive, aggressive animals that sported a projection of bone on its head that looked akin to a hammer. They could use said ‘hammers’ to knock down entire trees, Kira didn’t want to even consider what it could do to them.

“Oh shit.” She breathed, body tense and unmoving. Beside her, Jake panicked, raising his rifle to aim it towards the one that had taken note of them. Oh it didn’t look happy!

“Don’t shoot. You’ll piss it off.” Came Graces voice all of a sudden from the intercom they all wore round their necks. She sounded worried too Kira realised, well shit this really wasn’t good. She flinched as the bull bellowed and lowered its three meter wide sledgehammer of a skull, throwing its head back and forth in a threatening display and taking out two unfortunate trees that were in its way.

“It’s already pissed off!” Jake shouted back and Kira would’ve rolled her eyes if they were fixated on the monster infront of them. Oh how she wished she had a decent weapon right now, her little knife suddenly felt severely lacking in the face of this bastard.

“Jake, that armor’s too thick. Trust me. Don’t shoot.”

“Then what the hell do we do, Augustine?!” Kira snarled, the two of them taking a few steps back as it bellowed again and pawed the earth.

“It’s a territorial threat display. Do not run, or he’ll charge.” Grace hissed, the urgency in her voice keeping them rooted in place. Kira’s heart felt like it was going to burst out her chest it was racing so fast. Beneath the fear and adrenaline however, she felt a burst of wild excitement. Thomas would’ve killed to have witnessed the display the creature was giving them. As intimidating as it was, the display was also very beautiful and impressive.

“ What do we do?” Jake said between clenched teeth.

“ Hold your ground!” The hammerhead had clearly had enough, it screamed in rage once more, splintering a sapling with another toss of its head— and then charged.

When Kira would think back on what happened next she would laugh as she retold the way Jake suddenly began screaming at the top of his lunges, arms spread wide as he ran straight at the monster that barrelled towards them. Crazy bastard, she’d say, if there was a moment that summed up Jake best it was this one, and she could never decide if he’d been incredibly stupid, brave or both.

At the time however, all she been able to do was gape in horror at the act of extreme bravery and idiocy as her heart stopped beating in her chest out of fright for her friend. Even more shocking is that it seemed to work, the hammerhead skidding to a stop abruptly, giving an oversized bleat before turning tail and running back to the rest of the heard. Jake gave a stunned laugh, fist-pumping the air in celebration.

“Oh yeah! Who’s bad?! That’s right.”

Kira felt the hair on the back of her next rise, and she listened to her instinct when they told her to MOVE, throwing herself out the way as I massive black blur passed overhead. When she rolled to a stop she looked up to see the monster that had landed in front of Jake, roaring at the hammerhead heard in warning to stay away from its prey.

A Thanator, a sleek black six-limbed panther from hell, with an armoured head and massive, distensible jaws and wicked claws. The hammerheads turned to flee, crashing through the underbrush as the Thanator turned back to snarl down at a frozen with fright marine.

“Jake fucking RUN!” Kira screamed.

There was a pause before her friend turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, the angry Thanator taking off after him as they both disappeared out of sight into the underbrush. Kira didn’t even pause to think as she scrambled up and took chase, ignoring Grace and Norm shouting for her as her lithe body moved in fluid bounds to cover as much ground as possible to follow after her friend.

She’d lost Tom because she was unwilling to act, she wouldn’t fail his twin too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editing sucks. Only did a quick skim through as I was setting up the spacing etc whilst posting so forgive any mistakes, I will eventually correct everything.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed! :D
> 
> THIS IS CURRENTLY UNEDITED, SORRY!


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